Healing in the Classroom

At Healing Across the Divides, we work to measurably improve the health of marginalized people living in Israel and Occupied Palestine through community-based intervention. Sometimes the clearest picture of that work comes not from a report, but from the people doing it every day. The letter below is one of those moments - a firsthand reflection from the field.

In October 2025, we began supporting Citizens Building Community on a project called Healing Lod & Ramla Families: Trauma -Informed Community Resilience. It responds to rising community violence and a real shortage of Arabic-speaking mental-health support by bringing trauma-informed care directly to children, teens, and families. Ansam, a clinician on the ground in Lod and Ramla, shares her own words about what this work looks like - and why it matters so much to the children she meets. We’ll let her tell it.

Hello, my name is Ansam.

I have a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Criminology, a Master’s degree in Art Therapy, and another degree in Psychology with CBT. I’m really happy to be here and be part of this work. It’s very important to me to raise awareness about violence in our community. I really appreciate your support in creating more therapy sessions.

I want to share a short story. I worked with a young boy who did not speak at all in the first session and did not make eye contact. In the second session, he was still very quiet. In the third and fourth sessions, I used art with him, and he slowly started to open up. He said, “This is my first time doing something like this.” By the last session, he was talking, smiling, and joining the group. He told me he really enjoyed it and wants to continue.

I think these sessions are very important. Without this kind of work and awareness, it would be very hard for these children to express themselves.

We work inside schools, and this really helps. The children come from environments with a lot of violence, so it is not easy for them to talk.

But inside the school sessions, they felt safer. They were with other children who had similar experiences, so they connected with each other. This helped them open up and express themselves in a very good way.

I truly believe that psychological support is very important for children today, especially those who went through trauma. It gives them a safe space to express themselves, feel understood, and start to heal.

Stories like Ansam’s are only possible because of people who believe in the quiet, steady work of healing - so thank you for being part of it. At Healing Across the Divides, we support community-based health and healing initiatives that meet people where they are, in the neighborhoods and schools they call home. If you’d like to see more of the work this community is making possible, visit healingdivides.org to learn more.